I’m just getting over a bout with the flu (and to keep with that boxing metaphor, it totally KO’d me). Actually I don’t know that it was flu. I was way too sick to go to the doctor and get tested. It may have been COVID. It may have been RSV. It may have been some totally new horrid virus. And I don’t care. It’s over now, and I survived it. Still, there were consequences. I got behind on everything! Work, life, eating . . . So that’s why you’re getting a rerun this week. I think this one is particularly appropriate, though. Considering everything that’s going on right now — flu season, the weather, the world — we all need something soothing. And this one is very soothing. Enjoy it, and stay safe out there.

So how are you holding up in this crazy time? Sleeping OK? Would a really sweet fact help out? If so, I’ve got you covered: Giraffes hum to each other during the night. Isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?

This isn’t just some random vocalization. The researchers who discovered this hum described it as “a low-frequency vocalization with a rich harmonic structure.” Of course, no one has any idea what giraffes are communicating with these sounds — or even if they are communicating. But it’s likely they’re saying something, in part because of the complex variations in frequency and harmonic structure. In an interview with New Scientist, one of the researchers said the hums might be produced while the animals are in a dream-like state.

So maybe giraffes are singing about their dreams? Or perhaps they’re just trying to soothe each other in the dark. Wouldn’t it be nice if we humans could do more of that? Soothe each other in dark times?

’til next time — sweet dreams!

Avery